GAO finds 61% of public libraries have health or safety issue, 40% have a failing major system

Nearly 40% of the nation’s public library buildings are in poor condition and face growing maintenance backlogs, according to a new report released this week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. 

The full report highlights longstanding infrastructure challenges facing facilities that serve as hubs for community events, education, technology access, voting sites and emergency services.

The GAO survey found that the nearly 40% of public libraries – about 6,000 facilities nationwide – have at least one major building system, such as heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC), in "poor condition." 

Roughly 61% of libraries, about 9,800, said they have "at least one building system or feature that poses a potential health or safety concern."

Library staff and administrators cited challenges from inaccessible areas and aging infrastructure to overcrowded spaces that undermine day-to-day operations. In some cases, deferred maintenance, water damage and dilapidated ceilings were documented during GAO site visits for their review.

Libraries have long played other roles beyond lending books, such as hosting community initiatives, serving as voting sites, and providing emergency shelter during crises. However, the GAO found that most lack adequate funding to maintain or upgrade their buildings. 

According to GAO, federal grants have supported library programming and services but not construction or repair work, which requires local and state governments as well as library boards to take on costly maintenance bills. 

An estimated 70% of libraries, about 11,200, reported a backlog of deferred maintenance needs.

"According to budget forecasts and planned projects, an estimated 70 percent of libraries also expect deferred maintenance to persist or increase in the next 3 years," the report reads.

"One librarian estimated needing about $60,000 for a new HVAC, and another librarian estimated more than $225,000 in construction costs for building repair needs, including for asbestos removal. An estimated 39 percent, or 6,200 libraries, had a deferred maintenance backlog of more than $100,000 each," the GAO also reported.

The GAO reported that many libraries were "unable to significantly reduce their deferred maintenance backlog" in recent years. 

The watchdog estimates that 39% of libraries, about 6,200, have a current deferred maintenance backlog over $100,000 and roughly 12% of libraries, about 1,900, spent over $100,000 on deferred maintenance in the year 2023.

In the same year, about 16% of libraries "did not spend any money addressing their deferred maintenance backlog," GAO found.

Some smaller, rural, or high-poverty area libraries said limited local tax bases and fewer grant opportunities further hamper their ability to keep facilities in safe condition. 

The audit’s findings are based on a national survey of about 16,400 public libraries across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories, as well as interviews with library stakeholders and a review of repair cost estimates. 

GAO’s audit highlights the challenges of staying on top of the aging physical infrastructure of many public library facilities, raising questions about how local communities across the country can keep these public institutions alive.